1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of computer networking and computerized video technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the drawbacks of video, and particularly web based video that is often stored in remote internet servers, and delivered to clients in the form of various web pages, is that the remote video content cannot be easily scanned by users the way text or photos can.
For example, consider the popular internet video site “YouTube.com”, presently run by Google Corporation. Here, users using an internet connected client computerized device, usually using a web browser, can contact the YouTube.com server(s), enter in video search parameters into a search box, and be presented with a web page containing a list of 10 to 50 different video titles, along with thumbnail video images (usually taken from the first frame of the associated video file), and brief written descriptions of the various titles. However in order to find out more about the contents of a particular video file, the user must then click on a particular thumbnail video image, and either watch the video at real time speed, or else wait for more of the source video to be downloaded from the YouTube server, and be stored in memory of the client computerized device. Once enough of the source video of potential interest has been downloaded, the user can then attempt to move a progress marker though the video, and stop and examine portions of the source video of interest. This method is both slow and cumbersome.
In an alternative approach, the “Bing.com” video search service, presently run by Microsoft Corporation. Bing video can also present a user with a list of still thumbnail video images, along with the title of the video and the running time and upload date of the video. Clicking on any of these videos results in the thumbnail playing a series of 3-5 short (several second long) excerpts from the video, here presented with sound, and in real-time speed. These short real-time speed excerpts thus do not give the user a representative view of the full contents of the video, nor do they give the user any degree of control over what portions of the preview video to look at.
Given the advances in storage technology, high bandwidth internet connections, and low cost video production technology, the number of available internet videos is increasing almost exponentially every year. Thus improved methods to enable users to more efficiently screen and select internet videos of interest are of significant commercial value.